Betting has its roots from the ancient times in India but it is a very grey topic legally. Betting in the public gambling houses or owning a gambling house is prohibited and considered illegal in India.
But can Indians bet online? Are there legal betting apps available for the Indians to place bets?
This article is curated to inform you all about the legality of gambling and how to find the legal betting apps in India.
First let us explore the legal situation of betting and betting apps in India.
Indian Laws for Betting in India
There is a law named Public Gambling Act of 1867 which mentions about the gambling rules in India. According to this law, gambling in the public gambling houses is prohibited and can lead to imprisonment and fine. Moreover, Indian states are allowed to design their own gambling laws.
Any law or constitution does not say about the usage of the online betting apps in India. Hence, this is a possible alternative for the Indians.
How to find betting apps which are legal in India?
There are many betting apps available in the market which may be shady or illegal for the Indian players.
Few of the best ways to identify whether or not a app is legal are:
- Betting app must be located outside of India
This means that the bookmaker providing the app should be based outside of India and provide the betting services for Indians.
This way the Indian laws will not be hampered and Indians can bet online using these betting apps.
- Betting app must accept Indian rupees
The Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) does not allow the unauthorized conversion of Indian currency through random third parties.
Hence it becomes necessary for the betting app to accept the payments in Indian currency.
These are the two main requirements to be checked when finding the legal betting apps in India.
Apart from these, it is also essential to check if the betting app is licensed by any authorized gaming regulators.
To check this criteria, visit the footer of the betting app or About section of the bookmaker where it is always mentioned about the gaming authority who has licensed the betting app.
There are certain websites like BettingApps.com India who reviews all these criterias and suggests the list of the legal betting apps for the Indian players.
There are many betting apps available which can be considered legal for India but they come with different features and functionalities.
The betting apps have different sportsbooks, different casino games, betting odds, promotions and offers and it becomes important for the player to explore all the possibilities while choosing their legal betting app to place bets in India.
Will Online Betting Be Legalized in India?
There is no answer to this question. No predictions can be made for the legalization of online betting in India.
Access to high-speed internet, smart-phone devices etc. has increased the surge of online betting in India and the Indian market has a huge potential if online betting would ever be legalized or regulated in India.
